At the Clark School, we share a common commitment to “doing the right things, the right way.” We expect that students will behave with integrity, especially as it pertains to their academic performance, and hold them accountable for violations. This doesn’t just benefit our students now – it will one day benefit their careers, corporations and communities.
The Dean’s Office is committed to creating and promoting of a culture of integrity at the Clark School. We support and enforce the principles of academic integrity prescribed by the University of Maryland’s Office of Student Conduct. Clark School students abide by the University of Maryland Honor Pledge:
“I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.”
What is Academic Dishonesty?
The Office of Student Conduct defines four types of academic dishonesty: cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism.
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Cheating |
"Fraud, deceit, or dishonesty in any academic course or exercise in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage and/or intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic course or exercise." |
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Fabrication |
"Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic course or exercise. |
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Facilitating Academic Dishonesty |
"Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty." |
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Plagiarism |
"Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in an academic course or exercise." |
Acceptable Levels of Collaboration
Engineering is often by nature a collaborative endeavor – especially at the Clark School, where we’re proud of our warm and supportive community. Sometimes collaboration is encouraged, sometimes it is permitted, and sometimes it constitutes cheating. How does a student know what is okay and what violates the Honor Pledge?
The Clark School’s Academic Integrity Task Force found that many students are unclear about what kinds of collaboration are acceptable, since this differs between faculty members, courses and individual deliverables within a course. To help students understand what levels of collaboration are acceptable on a particular deliverable, the Task Force developed the following icons and descriptions.
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Open notes. You may use notes from class. |
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Discussion with peers, but individual deliverable. You may discuss this deliverable with others, but all the work you turn in must be your own.
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Use of the internet (phone, tablet, desktop). You may use any online resource. However, you must be sure to cite your sources to avoid plagiarism. |
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Group creation of deliverable. Everyone in the group should contribute some work to this deliverable. |
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Open book. You may use your textbook. |
If you don’t see these icons in your syllabi, ask your professor to identify the acceptable levels of collaboration for his or her deliverables.
Your professor should also identify the approved method for citing sources in his or her course. If this information is not in the course syllabus, please ask your professor.
Questions about Academic Integrity?
Take the Academic Integrity Tutorial through the Office of Student Conduct.
Adapted from the RH Smith Guide for Academic Integrity